Fingering mechanism for contrabass viols



Feb. 26', 1924. 1,484,985

S. CHRISTENSEN FINGERING MECHANISM FOR CONTRABASS VIOLS Fil e'd Feb. 4, 1919 Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SGREN CHRISTENSEN, OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

FINGERING MECHANISM FOR CONTRABASS VIOLS.

Application filed February 4, 1919. Serial No. 275,004.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SonEN CHRISTENSEN, musician, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Copenhagen, Hobrogade 9, Denmark, have invented a Fingering Mechanism for Contrabass Viols (for which Ihave filed an application in Germany January 2, 1918, No. 313,951, of July as, 1919), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to contrabass viols and more particularly to key operated means for holding the strings to the finger board.

A feature of this invention is the provision of means for controlling the strings of a contrabass, said means being fixed relatively to the finger board so that the strings will be held thereto at the exact place necessary to give the proper note when the bow is drawn across the strings. This insures that a note will sound exactly the same each time it is played.- An instrument made in accordance with the present invention is advantageous over those now in use since ordinarily the inexactitude of the position of the players finger on the finger board causes slight variations in the sound of the note.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an instrument constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail showing a guiding bridge for the key levers.

Fig. 4 is a detail showing one of the fretting members for the higher notes, the support and means for operating said fretting member being also shown.

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the same as Fig. 4 only in connection with a lower note.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing the yoke for holding the fretting members.

The finger board a and the strings I) of an instrument constructed in accordance with the present invention are the same as those found in the contrabass viols now in use, with the exception that the side of the finger board is provided with bars 0 which are so shaped as to form longitudinal grooves for receiving various parts of the string operating mechanism.

The finger pieces or keys and the fretting fingers operated thereby are so arranged as grooved side bars 0.

to produce notes at semi-tone intervals, the fretting fingers being disposed along the finger board at suitable intervals for this purpose.

The key levers e are pivotally mounted at d on extensions of the side bars 0, and are provided with keys f,-f, f and f at their free ends. The key levers are provided with arms 0 (Fig. 5) each pivotally connected to a damper yoke Z so that when a key f is depressed by the player the yoke Z associated therewith will be caused to hold all the strings to the finger board at a particular place thereon. For this purpose the yoke Z is pivoted, as by studs 70, to clamps j mounted on and held to the side bars 0 and so arranged as to swing about said pivots clownwardly against the strings. The yoke Z has a crosspiece m directly beneath which is provided the fretting member a which preferably comprises a leathern band which closely simulates the finger of the human hand and thus does not unduly wear the strings.

To limit and guide the movement of the keys there is provided a comb g in the spaces It between the teeth of which the key levers extend and by the sides of which they are guided. The comb g is mounted on the The keys are held in normal position by springs c.

From the foregoing it will be clear that by properly manipulating the keys and drawing the bow across the proper string all semi-tones within the range of the instrument can be sounded.

The higher notes which are only played on the two strings to the right in Fig. 2 are controlled by similar devices, the keys 8 being the same as the keys f and the arms 2 being the same as the arms 0. The fretting fingers however are not exactly the same for the reason that it is not necessary for the higher notes to fret the strings at the left of Fig. 2. Therefore, instead of the yoke l which is provided for the lower notes there is provided an arm as pivotally mounted at w in an arm 0) having grooves to be received by the bar a. At the free end of the arm w there is provided a fretting member y which is pivoted to the arm as. The arm z is pivoted to the arm :0.

The arms 2 and 0 are adjustable on the key levers 9" and 0 respectively.

Since the clamps j and the arm a and also the arms 0 and z can be arranged along the linger board in any desired position, the exact tone desired can always be produced.

The device of this invention can be at tached to any contrabass by merely attaching the bars 6 to the sides of the linger board.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of this invention and portions of the hmnovemcnts may be used without others.

l claim as my invention:

1. In a viol, the combination with a linger-board; of strings extending over said linger-board; and a plurality of fretting lingers set at definite intervals along said finger-board; and keys, one for each fretting finger, and each remote from its fretting linger, said k ys being located substantially midway of the ends of the linger board.

2. In a viol, the combination with a linger-board: of strings extending over said ringer-board; a plurality of fretting fingers each comprising a yoke adjustably mounted on the linger-board, and a leathern menihcr for engaging the strings; and key opcrated means for moving said yoke to cause said leather-n member to firmly press the strings upon the linger-board and comprising keys located substantially midway of the ends of the linger-board, said keys being remote from their associated fretting lingers.

-3 A fretting device for the linger-board of a viol comprising keys placed at the middle of the linger-board: levers. one for each key, arranged in groups with one group extending upwardly and the other downwardly from the keys; and a transverse rod associated with each group of levers and remote from the keys for pivotally supporting the levers.

l. A fretting device for the linger-board of a viol according to claim 3 in which of a viol according to claim 3 in which there are fretting lingers pivotally supported at. points between the keys and the supporting rods and in which there are combs located between the keys and the fretting lingers for guiding the levers.

T. A fretting device for the linger-board of a viol according to claim 3 in which there are fretting fingers. brackets secured to and extending upwardly from the linger-board and on which a fretting finger is pivotally mounted, and an arm engaging said fretting linger and mounted on the one of said levers vitih which the fretting linger is associated.

S. In a contrabass viol. the combination with a lii'lger-board and a body portion; of strings extending over said linger-board: a plurality of fretting fingers set at definite intervals along aid linger-board: and keys, one for each fretting finger, located substantially midway of the end of the lingerboard in position to be engaged by the lingers of the player while the latter's arm rests on the body portion of the viol, said lit being remote from their associated fretting fingers.

SOREN CHRISTENSEN. \Vitnesses A. J. StinnNsnN, TH. LORENSEN. 

